Quantifying distributions of and modeling interactions among sulfur- and nitrogen- cycling chemolithoautotrophs in the largest oxygen minimum zone of the global ocean

Anoxic marine microbe communities from the Eastern Tropical North Pacific were analyzed using culture-independent molecular methods. Community composition and associations were determined with pyrosequencing and phylotype analysis, followed by species distribution modeling and exploratory statistics. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were used to quantify activity and distribution of key sulfur- and nitrogen-cycling groups within the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Strong correlations were found between putative sulfur-oxidizing groups and known nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Quantitative PCR assays confirmed the activity of sulfate- reducing genes, strong evidence for cryptic sulfur cycling

Quantifying distributions of and modeling interactions among sulfur- and nitrogen- cycling chemolithoautotrophs in the largest oxygen minimum zone of the global ocean

Anoxic marine microbe communities from the Eastern Tropical North Pacific were analyzed using culture-independent molecular methods. Community composition and associations were determined with pyrosequencing and phylotype analysis, followed by species distribution modeling and exploratory statistics. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were used to quantify activity and distribution of key sulfur- and nitrogen-cycling groups within the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Strong correlations were found between putative sulfur-oxidizing groups and known nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Quantitative PCR assays confirmed the activity of sulfate- reducing genes, strong evidence for cryptic sulfur cycling

Transcriptomic evidence for microbial sulfur cycling in the eastern tropical North Pacific oxygen minimum zone

Microbial communities play central roles in ocean biogeochemical cycles, and are particularly important in in oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). However, the key carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur (S) cycling processes catalyzed by OMZ microbial communities are poorly constrained spatially, temporally, and with regard to the different microbial groups involved. Here we sample across dissolved oxygen gradients in the oceans’ largest OMZ by volume—the eastern tropical North Pacific ocean, or ETNP—and quantify 16S rRNA and functional gene transcripts to detect and constrain the activity of different S-cycling groups. Based on gene expression profiles, putative dissimilatory sulfite reductase (dsrA) genes are actively expressed within the ETNP OMZ. dsrA expression was limited almost entirely to samples with elevated nitrite concentrations, consistent with previous observations in the eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP) OMZ. dsrA and ‘reverse’ dissimilatory sulfite reductase (rdsrA) genes are related and the associated enzymes are known to operate in either direction, reducing or oxidizing different S compounds. We found that rdsrA genes and soxB genes were expressed in the same samples, suggestive of active S cycling in the ETNP OMZ. These data provide potential thresholds for S cycling in OMZs that closely mimic recent predictions, and indicate that S cycling may be broadly relevant in OMZs

Harnessing insights from a community of practice to progress aphasia psychological care in Ireland: A mixed methods integration study informed by normalisation process theory

Background: A range of individual and systemic barriers to delivering psychological care to people living with aphasia are widely reported. An integrated model of care, stepped care, has been proposed. Integrated aphasia care constitutes a complex intervention that necessitates local adaptation and implementation. Whilst a need for better access to aphasia psychological care has been documented in Ireland; no coordinated approach has been developed or actioned. Aims: To discern overarching principles for advancing the implementation of coordinated aphasia psychological care in Ireland by drawing on the perspectives of Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs), Occupational Therapists, and Clinical Psychologists. Methods & Procedures: A convergent parallel mixed methods study comprising qualitative interviews with SLTs; a survey of interdisciplinary stroke professionals; and an integration by triangulation of the interview and survey findings. The implementation science framework Normalisation Process Theory was used as a lens to discern how clinicians make sense of, are enrolled in, and enact aphasia psychological care. Outcomes & Results: Four SLTs were interviewed and there were 40 survey respondents. Empowering clinicians to deliver aphasia psychological care requires training, professional and emotional support, and clarity around the way that care is integrated across settings and disciplines. It is necessary to develop a shared interdisciplinary conceptualisation of such a pathway, and to leverage the apparent desire for change. Conclusions: The findings address a lack of empirical knowledge about the ways in which clinicians might be supported to delivering integrated aphasia psychological care in Ireland. The study will inform ongoing research and has relevance for other jurisdictions.</p

Assessment of Cell Line Models of Primary Human Cells by Raman Spectral Phenotyping

Researchers have previously questioned the suitability of cell lines as models for primary cells. In this study, we used Raman microspectroscopy to characterize live A549 cells from a unique molecular biochemical perspective to shed light on their suitability as a model for primary human pulmonary alveolar type II (ATII) cells. We also investigated a recently developed transduced type I (TT1) cell line as a model for alveolar type I (ATI) cells. Single-cell Raman spectra provide unique biomolecular fingerprints that can be used to characterize cellular phenotypes. A multivariate statistical analysis of Raman spectra indicated that the spectra of A549 and TT1 cells are characterized by significantly lower phospholipid content compared to ATII and ATI spectra because their cytoplasm contains fewer surfactant lamellar bodies. Furthermore, we found that A549 spectra are statistically more similar to ATI spectra than to ATII spectra. The spectral variation permitted phenotypic classification of cells based on Raman spectral signatures with >99% accuracy. These results suggest that A549 cells are not a good model for ATII cells, but TT1 cells do provide a reasonable model for ATI cells. The findings have far-reaching implications for the assessment of cell lines as suitable primary cellular models in live cultures